A fighter off the mat

Wrestling is about staying on your feet and not giving in to your opponent's advances.

For Newton wrestler Tyler Head, it is now a way of life to continue this wrestling tactic and Fight Like Tyler. For all Newton students, this mantra, that now hangs on a banner in the school, is the Rams' wrestling teams new motto.

The motto was adapted as one of the Rams' own, Head, is now fighting off the mat, and fighting for his life.

Head was injured during match when he landed on his neck during a legal move on Dec. 29 at the Rockdale Duals placing him in a Trauma Center at the Atlanta Medical Center with broken vertebrae.

After it happened, Newton and the wrestling world rallied around him, hoping his condition would improve and the 16-year-old wrestler and fighter would pull out of it.

"As soon as it happened, my phone was blowing up with text messages from all the kids," former Newton wrestling coach Paul Nelson said. "My heart breaks for him."

That sentiment has been echoed dozens of times over as Head's family has taken to Facebook and Twitter to spread updates on his conditions and allow his friends a place to gather about his health.

The Facebook page Tyler Head Updates was created Saturday and has 400 "Likes" in just one day. On Saturday, Head remained hooked up to a ventilator in Intensive Care while he was tested for possible infections after his surgery.

The Facebook page was also set up to spread positive stories about people fighting through injuries similar to Head's. The stories are about those who fought through it no matter what prognosis was given by doctors. For those who know Head, they feel he could be one of those successful fighters.

"If there was a person who can come through something, it's going to be him," Nelson said. "He has worked so hard."

Head's hard work is getting an extra boost from those who know him, or are just well-wishers such as @sydney_schell who tweeted "Win this for Tyler, Georgia" before the Bulldogs' bowl game.

The Twitter world has also reached out for Head, starting #GetAaronMurrayToVisitTyler and #PrayingForTylerHead.

Head's girlfriend has also been active showing support online, tweeting updates and affectionate words.

Prayers have continued to go out for the young grappler as he is being slowly moved off the ventilator and he started breathing on his own Monday, and his swelling has gone down from the surgery.

"These are the first baby steps of rehabilitation that we've been waiting for. Now it's time for Tyler to show us what he can do, and I know the Lord will show us how he's been working on Tyler's body for the past week or so," a post on Tyler Head Updates Facebook said.